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ArmaLite AR-7
The Armalite AR-7 is a semiautomatic .22 LR takedown rifle based on technology developed for the AR-5 (USAF MA-1) air crew survival gun by the ArmaLite Division of Fairchild Engine & Airplane Corp.
The Armalite AR-7 Explorer was designed and marketed as a survival/backpack gun for campers and hunters due to its light weight (2.75 pounds) and compact size when broken down. The receiver, magazine, and barrel pack inside the buttstock. Like the AR-5, the AR-7 was designed to float if dropped in water. The basic sights are a peep rear adjustable for elevation and a front post adjustable for windage. The receiver is made of aluminum, the standard 8 round magazine of steel. Aftermarket magazines have been made in various capacities and of different materials.
Armalite began production of the AR-7 Explorer rifle in 1959 then sold the rights to Charter Arms in 1973. Charter Arms produced the rifle and introduced a detachable 3/8 inch tip-off rail for scope mounts. Charter introduced the Explorer II pistol version from 1980 to 1986. In 1990 Charter Arms sold the rights to Survival Arms who made the rifle up to 1997. Survival Arms then sold the rights to AR-7 Industries who continued production into the early 2000s.
When the patent expired in 1998, Henry Repeating Arms Company reverse engineered the AR-7 maintaining backward compatiblity but with changes to the reciever and stock. Henry renamed their rifle the Henry U.S. Survival Rifle due to the changes. In 2007 Henry added a 3/8 inch tip-off rail to the receiver. The U.S. Survival stock holds the disassembled rifle with two magazines and a third optional in the receiver but is not as buoyant as the original. Henry's rifle is about 8 ounces heavier.
The AR-7 can be seen in the following films, television series, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Russia With Love | Sean Connery | James Bond | With scope, erroneously described as using .25 ACP ammo | 1963 |
| Pedro Armendariz | Kerim Bey | With scope, erroneously described as using .25 ACP ammo | ||
| Goldfinger | Tania Mallet | Tilly Masterson | With scope | 1964 |
| Murderers' Row | Dean Martin | Matt Helm | Hy Hunter Bolomauser | 1966 |
| Karl Malden | Julian Wall | Hy Hunter Bolomauser | ||
| Tom Reese | "Ironhead" | Hy Hunter Bolomauser | ||
| The Ambushers | Dean Martin | Matt Helm | T-62 | 1967 |
| Guards | T-62 | |||
| The Green Berets | Two Vietcong in assault | T-62 | 1968 | |
| On Her Majesty's Secret Service | Seen in Bond's car | 1969 | ||
| Violent City | Charles Bronson | Jeff Heston | With scope and suppresor | 1970 |
| Rage | George C. Scott | Dan Logan | 1972 | |
| The Killer Elite | Robert Duvall | Hansen | 1975 | |
| Futureworld | Peter Fonda | Chuck Browning/clone | Pistol based on AR-7 rifle | 1976 |
| Colt 38 Special Squad (Quelli della calibro 38) | Ivan Rassimov | Marsigliese | With sniper scope and sound suppressor | 1976 |
| Umbrella Coup (Le Coup du parapluie) | Gordon Mitchell | Moskovitz | Custom short-barreled version | 1980 |
| Firestarter | George C. Scott | John Rainbird | Appears as a tranquilizer dart gun | 1984 |
| Malibu Express | A hitman | Two-toned with customized barrel cover, hand grip and synthetic stock | 1985 | |
| Hard Ticket to Hawaii | Harold Diamond | Jade | Two-toned with customized barrel cover, hand grip and synthetic stock | 1987 |
| Ronn Moss | Rowdy Abilene | |||
| Dona Speir | Donna | |||
| Night of the Sharks | A henchman | 1988 | ||
| Picasso Trigger | Roberta Vasquez | Pantera | Two-toned with customized barrel cover, hand grip and synthetic stock | 1988 |
| Savage Beach | Eric Chen | Erik | Two-toned with customized barrel cover, hand grip and synthetic stock | 1989 |
| Savage Beach | Al Leong | Fu | Two-toned with customized barrel cover, hand grip and synthetic stock | 1989 |
| Do or Die | An assassin | Two-toned with customized barrel cover, hand grip and synthetic stock | 1991 | |
| Spy Hard | Alexandra Paul | Woman in murphy bed | Charter Arms Explorer II | 1996 |
| Return to Savage Beach | Eric Chen | Erik | Two-toned customized; footage from Savage Beach | 1998 |
| The Interpreter | Assassin | 2005 | ||
| Lord of War | U.S Henry Variant with stainless steel finish and M68 Aimpoint red dot scope, seen on a wall | 2005 | ||
| Assassin in Love | Damian Lewis | Milo 'The Baker' Shakespeare | With scope and suppressor | 2007 |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Get Smart (TV Series) | Don Adams | Maxwell Smart | Stocked like a "Tommy Gun" (modification from commercial T62 variant) | 1965 - 1970 |
| Strike Force | David McCallum | ICE | 1981 | |
| Boston Legal | William Shatner | Denny Crane | "Hired Guns" (S01E10) | 2004 |
| Hawaii Five-O (1968) - Season 11 | Rodney Philip Aiu | Assassin | "The Execution File" (S11E18) | 1978-1979 |
| Magnum, P.I. | Juvenile Delinquent | "One More Summer" S02E17 | 1980 - 1988 | |
| Sledge Hammer! | Adam Ant | "Lionel Dasham" | Suppressed; "Icebreaker" (S02E12) | 1986-1988 |
| JAG - Season 2 | Nanci Chambers | Meghan O'Hara | "Washington Holiday" (S2E09) | 1997 |
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Assassin | Henry US Survival; "Assassin" (S7E14) | 2008 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Charter Arms AR-7 Explorer; unusable | 2002 | ||
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Charter Arms AR-7 Explorer; unusable | 2004 | ||
| Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades | 2016 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Closed: The Private Eyes' Requiem | Assassin | w/ scope | 2006 |